Emissions of polychlorinated diphenyl ethers from a municipal solid waste incinerator during the start-up operation

Jing-Sing Yang; Sheng-Lun Lin; Ta-Chang Lin; Yee-Lin Wu; Lin-Chi Wang; Guo-Ping Chang-Chien

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2015.06.026

Emissions of polychlorinated diphenyl ethers from a municipal solid waste incinerator during the start-up operation

J Hazard Mater. 2015 Dec 15:299:206-14. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2015.06.026. Epub 2015 Jun 19.

Authors

Jing-Sing Yang¹, Sheng-Lun Lin², Ta-Chang Lin¹, Yee-Lin Wu¹, Lin-Chi Wang³, Guo-Ping Chang-Chien⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
² Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung 83347, Taiwan; Super Micro Mass Research and Technology Center, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung 83347, Taiwan. Electronic address: cbmsgml@gmail.com.
³ Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung 83347, Taiwan.
⁴ Super Micro Mass Research and Technology Center, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung 83347, Taiwan; Department of Cosmetic and Fashion Styling, Kaohsiung 83347, Taiwan. Electronic address: guoping@csu.edu.tw.

PMID: 26124066
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2015.06.026

Abstract

This study examines the emissions of polychlorinated diphenyl ethers (PCDEs) during the start-up processes of a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI). Both normal and modified emission control start-ups were tested. Fifteen samples were taken from the flue gas with increasing furnace temperature. Peak PCDE concentrations of 1.48-10.3 ng/Nm(3) were observed at 8-11 h after the start of combustion, when the furnace temperature was in the range of 267-440 °C, that also needed for PCDD/F formation by de novo synthesis. The PCDE emissions could thus, be reduced by current control techniques. Furthermore, the modified control strategies inhibited PCDE formation at the beginning of combustion, and led to an 86% reduction in the maximum PCDE concentration. The overall start-up emissions were calculated as 1.01-3.08 mg, while the annual PCDE emissions with one start-up operation were found to be 7.48-9.64 mg. However, total PCDE emissions will increase by 12-69% if the number of start-up runs increases to between two and eight times per year. Consequently, the prevention of the unnecessary start-ups and advanced activation of the related emission control system are both efficient ways to reduce PCDE emissions.

Keywords: Annual emission; Emission control; Municipal solid waste incinerator; Polychlorinated diphenyl ether; Start-up.